1st Bn The Royal Rifles of Canada
General Information | ||
| Rank: | First Name: | Second Name: |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | William | Percy Cecil |
| From: | Enlistment Region: | Date of Birth (y-m-d): |
| Quebec QC | Western Quebec | 1904-06-19 |
| Appointment: | Company: | Platoon: |
| Second in Command | A | Coy HQ |
Transportation - Home Base to Hong Kong
Members of 'C' Force from the East travelled across Canada by CNR troop train, picking up reinforcements enroute. Stops included Valcartier, Montreal, Ottawa, Armstrong ON, Capreol ON, Winnipeg, Melville SK, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper, and Vancouver, arriving in Vancouver on Oct 27 at 0800 hrs.
The Winnipeg Grenadiers and the local soldiers that were with Brigade Headquarters from Winnipeg to BC travelled on a CPR train to Vancouver.
All members embarked from Vancouver on the ships AWATEA and PRINCE ROBERT. AWATEA was a New Zealand Liner and the PRINCE ROBERT was a converted cruiser. "C" Company of the Rifles was assigned to the PRINCE ROBERT, everyone else boarded the AWATEA. The ships sailed from Vancouver on Oct 27th and arrived in Hong Kong on November 16th, having made brief stops enroute at Honolulu and Manila.
Equipment earmarked for 'C' Force use was loaded on the ship DON JOSE, but would never reach Hong Kong as it was rerouted to Manila when hostilities commenced.
On arrival, all troops were quartered at Nanking Barracks, Sham Shui Po Camp, in Kowloon.
Battle Information
We do not have specific battle information for this soldier in our online database. For a detailed description of the battle from a Canadian perspective, visit Canadian Participation in the Defense of Hong Kong (published by the Historical Section, Canadian Military Headquarters).
Wounded Information
| Date Wounded | Wound Description | References |
|---|---|---|
| 41/12/19 | N/A | 36 |
Hospital Information
| Name of hospital | Date of admission | Date of discharge | Comments | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-QMH | 12/19/1941 | N/A |
POW Camps
| Camp ID | Camp Name | Location | Company | Type of Work | Arrival Date | Departure Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK-NP-01 | North Point | North Point, Hong Kong Island | 41 Dec 30 | 42 Sep 26 | ||
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 42 Sep 26 | 43 Aug 19 | ||
| HK-AS-02 | Argyle Street | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 43 Aug 19 | 44 May 11 | ||
| HK-SA-02 | Shamshuipo | Kowloon, Hong Kong | 44 May 11 | 45 Sep 10 |
Transportation SE Asia to Home
| Transport Mode | Arrival Destination | Arrival Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| USS Admiral Hugh Rodman | Vancouver, BC | 1945-10-07 | Manilla to Vancouver, BC |
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Post-war Photo
Decorations Received
| Image | Name of Award | Abbreviation | References | Precedence | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Member of The Most Excellent Order of The British Empire | MBE | 39, 40, 124 | 04 | |
MBE CitationCanada Gazette dated 15 June 1946 (No. 24, Vol. 80, p.3849) and CARO/6632 dated 17 June 1946.Captain LeBoutillier, Adjutant of the Royal Rifles of Canada was taken prisoner at Hong Kong in December 1941. During 1942 and until the end of August 1943 at North Point and Shamshuipo prisoner of war camps, as the battalion retained its identity, this officer continued to perform the duties of Adjutant in an exceptionally efficient manner, maintaining a high standard of discipline and morale in the regiment. In the absence of his Commanding Officer during seven months of this period from September 1943, when all senior Canadian officers were removed to another camp, until March 1945, he commanded the Royal Rifles of Canada and thereafter until the end of the war, acted as Senior Canadian Officer in Camp "S". He displayed continuously and consistently outstanding qualities of leadership, devotion to duty, courage, ability and initiative, and never relaxed in his efforts to promote the welfare of the officers and men in his charge. He was responsible for the preservation of essential records, displaying great ingenuity in keeping them out of the hands of the Japanese, and participated in highly dangerous underground activities to smuggle into camp medicines for the sick. His complete unselfishness and strong character made him the most respected and admired officer in Camp "S" and he performed services continuous of the highest value to all prisoners of war. His conduct was at all times an inspiration and outstanding example to all ranks and in the highest traditions of the service. | |||||
Other Military or Public Service
No other or additional related information found. Please submit documents to us using the contact link at the top of this page.
Death and Cemetery Information
| Date of Death (y-m-d) | Cause of Death | Death Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-09-26 | Post War | ||
| Cemetery Location | Cemetery | Grave Number | Gravestone Marker |
| Ottawa Ontario Canada | Saint Johns Anglican Cemetery | Yes | |
Gravestone Image
Obituary / Life Story
In hospital on Tuesday, September 26, 1972. William Percy Cecil Le Boutellier, aged 63 years, 58 Lismer Crescent, Kanata, Ontario, beloved husband of Helen Lydia Stewart and brother of Jack, Victoria, B.C. Funeral service was held in St. John's Anglican Church, South March, on Thursday. Memorials may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.
30 Sep 1972, Saturday Page 42
Captain LeBoutillier is a graduate of the Royal Military College and McGill University. He was employed as a civil engineer with the Price Brothers at Kenogami, Quebec for 10 years before enlisting in July 1940. For some time he served as the recruiting officer of the Quebec Royal Rifles when the unit was being mobilized. Taken from a Tuesday, August 4th, 1942 Ottawa newspaper
Links and Other Resources
There may be more information on this individual available elsewhere on our web sites - please use the search tool found in the upper right corner of this page to view sources.
Related documentation
- Our HKVCA Vault (Google Docs) may contain additional information, newspaper clippings, and documents which have been saved for this soldier. To access this information, click on the vault link and a Google Docs folder list will open in a separate tab. Use the first letter of the soldier’s service number, found at the top of this report, to open the correct folder. Each sub-folder is identified by service number. Scroll down until you reach the one of your interest.
- Facebook has proven to be a valuable resource in the documentation of 'C' Force members. The following link will take you to any available search results for this soldier based on his regimental number. Note: results may be contained within another related record. Facebook Search Results
- Find a Grave® is a valuable resource that may contain additional information on this 'C' Force member. When you arrive at the site search page, fill in as much detail as you can for best results.
General Comments
LeBoutillier Avenue, Neighbourhood: Quarries
Named for Captain William Percy Cecil LeBoutillier (1904-1972), Royal Rifles of Canada, who was a Japanese Prisoner of War during World War II. He was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1946 for gallant and distinguished service while a Prisoner of War. He was originally from Kenogami, Quebec, but later resided in Ottawa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Laurence
No. 1691, Captain W. P. C. LeBoutillier, M.B.E., was appointed Mill Manager, Riverbend Mill, Price Brothers Co. Ltd., Riverbend, P.Q. on 28 June, 1954.
Ontario Kingston Royal Military College of Canada 1955
An interesting wedding scheduled for September is that of Miss Helen Stewart, daughter of the Hon. J. D. Stewart, premier of Prince Edward Island, and Mrs. Stewart, to William P. C. LeBoutillier of Kenogami, Que., son of Mr. and Mrs. T. C. LeBoutillier of Westmount, which will take place in Charlottetown, P.E.I., about the middle of the month.
29 Aug 1931, Saturday Page 17
End of Report.
Report generated: 27 Apr 2025.
Additional Notes
(These will not be visible on the printed copy)
- Service numbers for officers ("X") are locally generated for reporting only. During World War II officers were not allocated service numbers until 1945.
- 'C' Force soldiers who died overseas are memorialized in the Books of Remembrance and the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, both sponsored by Veterans Affairs Canada. Please use the search utility at VAC to assist you.
- Some birthdates and deathdates display as follows: 1918-00-00. In general, this indicates that we know the year but not the month or day.
- Our POW camp links along with our References link (near the bottom of the 'C' Force home page) are designed to give you a starting point for your research. There were many camps with many name changes. The best resource for all POW camps in Japan is the Roger Mansell Center for Research site.
- In most cases the rank displayed was the rank held before hostilities. Some veterans were promoted at some point prior to eventual post-war release from the army back in Canada. When notified of these changes we'll update the individual's record.
- Images displayed on the web page are small, but in many cases the actual image is larger. Hover over any image and you will see a popup if a larger version is available. You can also right-click on some images and select the option to view the image separately. Not all images have larger versions. Contact us to confirm whether a large copy of an image in which you are interested exists.
- In some cases the References displayed as part of this report generate questions because there is no indication of their meaning. They were inherited with the original database, and currently we do not know what the source is. We hope to solve this problem in future.
- We have done our best to avoid errors and omissions, but if you find any issues with this report, either in accuracy, completeness or layout, please contact us using the link at the top of this page.
- Photos are welcome! If a photo exists for a 'C' Force member that we have not included, or if you have a higher quality copy, please let us know by using the Contact Us link at the top of this page. We will then reply, providing instructions on submitting it.